


i'll do it again if i could

by orphan_account



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: 3 + 1, Angst, F/M, Mutual Pining, Post 1x06, Rina - Freeform, Romance, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21809812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Three times Ricky Bowen experienced heartbreak and the one time he doesn't.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 4
Kudos: 102





	i'll do it again if i could

**Author's Note:**

> this is longer than I intended it to be. oops?

The first time Ricky Bowen experienced heartbreak was when he returned back to school and discovered that Nini had found herself a new boyfriend when she was at summer camp. It would be a lie to say that it didn't physically hurt, having to watch them exchange kisses in the halls or seeing her give EJ that small, kinda sheepish smile that was only supposed to be reserved for him. Ricky was admant on winning his girlfriend back. So, he joined the musical with the initial intention of doing so to prove to Nini that he cared about her and the things that she enjoyed doing. 

It started off complicated and heavy, she rejected him anytime he vied to prove himself to her. He started to lose hope and finally began make peace with the fact that he had foolishly lost one of the best things that has ever happened to him. That is until she admitted his feelings weren't unrequited and that she was just hurt and confused with everything at first but now she was ready to give him a second chance. 

And Ricky remembered smiling in relief, because that was all that he wanted since the beginning. They kissed, ever so softly, both of them smiling widely at each other after their lips drew apart. Nini placed one last kiss on his cheek then snuggled comfortably against his chest. They were officially a couple again. Their friends, mostly Big Red, Kourtney still side eyed him with a narrowed glare any time she saw him, were happy for them. And Ricky was happy. He was genuinely happy. 

So, he couldn't understand why his eyes were lingering over to the table where Gina was currently sitting, or why his heart rate suddenly sped up when she lifted her head and glanced around the crowed cafeteria, then slowly met his gaze. They stared at each other for a brief moment, her face fell into a sad frown and she hastily glanced away. He didn't know why it saddened him, seeing her so sad like this. She was the one that caused all of this. She played him and made him believe that she actually cared about him. 

“Ricky?” The soft sound of Nini's voice retracts Ricky away from his inward thoughts. She places her hand over his, softly stroking her thumb over the skin on his knuckles. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. “You okay?” She asks, noticing that he left his favorite lunch time snack, cherry flavored jello, completely untouched. 

He nods, thinning his lips into a small smile. “Yeah, I was just thinking about opening night.” He lies and he feels completely terrible for his dishonesty, but he knew that if he told her that he was still thinking about Gina, especially after what she did that it would cause an unnecessary stir of drama and he didn't want that, not again. So he pulled his eyes away from Gina and turned back to his friends, Ricky draped an arm around Nini's shoulder and pulled her close while they listened to Big Red avidly tell them a story. 

The second time Ricky Bowen experienced heart break was when his parents told him about the gut wrenching news of their divorce. He remembered feeling all of the air leave his chest, salty tears burning at the back of his eyes. He noticed that things between them had changed, his mom started spending more time away from home, his dad started sulking more and showering less. Ricky naively assumed that they just needed time apart to figure things out, and that eventually everything would go back to normal. 

But it didn't; his dad started going out on dates with Miss Jenn and he discovered that his mom had a new boyfriend. Ricky felt confused, hurt and angry at both of them. He wanted them both to be happy, because they deserved it more than anyone else in the entire world, it's just—he wishes that they were all happy together as a family. He doesn't adapt well to change, he never did. This was all new, everything was changing so fast and it was all so confusing.

Ricky doesn't talk to Big Red or Nini about what's going on at home. He knew that they would listen and offer their advice and sympathy but they couldn't fully understand what he was going through. No one could, well, besides, Gina. She was the first person he told about his mom having a new boyfriend, he told her about being selfishly angry that both of his parents were moving on so quickly. 

He remembered her sitting there, quietly, listening and letting him express himself. She nodded in understanding as he spoke, then offered her own thoughts of reassurance. 

“You should tell them how you feel. It's not healthy to keep everything bottled in. Believe me, I know.” She suggested. 

  
Ricky shook his head as he sighed deeply and sat down next to her on the couch. He runs a hand through his curly hair. “I can't. I see how happy they both are. I can't take that away from them no matter how I feel about it. Besides, we've never been good at that, my family and I. Communicating and talking about our feelings. We just tend to keep our emotions shelter up until it inevitably blows up in our faces.”

“You talk to me about it.” She acknowledges, and Ricky turns his head and stares at her. He feels a warm, rosy, blushing coloring his cheeks. He shrugged, running a nervous hand through his hair again. 

“You're easier to talk to. I don't feel like I have to hide anything from you when we talk, you know? My friends don't understand what I'm going through with all the stuff at home. You do. It's nice talking someone who gets it.” He admits truthfully.

Gina slid the palm of her hand over his and intertwined their fingers together, his long, kinda callused ones wrapped around her soft, slender ones. She glanced up at him and stared into his eyes with this look that made his heart nervously flutter. “I'll always be here for you no matter what.” She says, and he could see by the look in her eyes that she meant it. 

The third time Ricky Bowen experienced heart break was when Nini informed him along with everyone else at Ashlyn's Thanksgiving party, about Gina and EJ's scheme. At first, Ricky refused to believe it, he assumed that Nini was only saying this because she was jealous that he was spending more time with Gina recently. But then Nini confronted Gina, asking who initially stole her phone and Gina just stood there with her shoulders sullenly slouched, her head lowered in shame and her eyes flickering with an apologetic worry. 

Ricky saw her bottom lip tremble, she fiddled nervously with her fingers. “So, its true?” He asked in disbelief, shaking his head in dismay. “You stole Nini's phone for EJ? Y-You pretended to be my friend just so you could get the part of Gabriella?”

At this, Gina finally lifted her head. “No! Ricky, I never pretended to be your friend, everything that happened was real. I would never do that.” She attempts to assure him, but he scoffs in rebuttal. 

“You stole Nini's phone! How can I trust anything that you say? I can't believe I was actually starting to—” He paused, then takes a deep breath as he looks up at her. She looked so vulnerable, standing there, with everyone's eyes watching them and their ears hanging onto their words. Ricky knew that Gina absolutely hated being the center of public scrutiny and he could see how uncomfortable and sad she was. He wanted nothing more than to talk up to her, grab her hand and pull her away from all of this drama. But he didn't, because he was hurt and sad too. “I can't be friends with someone like you. Not anymore.” Was all he said to her before he grabbed his jacket that was previously hanging off of the back of Ashlyn's couch, and hurriedly exited from the house. 

That was nearly a month ago; sometimes the events of that night still replay in his mind; the vivid memory of Gina's big, sad, brown eyes when he told her that he no longer wanted anything to do with her, how completely terrible he felt saying it, how heart broken he felt knowing that someone that he had quickly grown to care deeply about was using and lying to him for her own benefit. 

Ricky shakes all those thoughts of Gina out of his brain and smiles as he sees Nini and Kourtney walking into the room. “Good morning!” She says happily. She crouched down into the seat next to his and placed a simple kiss against his lips. His smile slowly falters upon seeing Gina suddenly walking into the room. She avoids his gaze and easily slips in a chair next to Seb. 

Ricky would be lying if he said that he didn't miss Gina. She was great company to have around and was unconsciously funny. His missed the light heartedness he felt whenever he was around her, how simple and easy things were. Things with Nini were different — they were different and Ricky was starting to wonder if she could feel them slowly pulling away from each other too. 

He hears about the possibility of Gina moving one morning while they were in rehearsals. He was sitting in the corner, mindlessly strumming his fingers along the strings on his guitar when Carlos walked in, worrying in an erratic frenzy. “We have two weeks until opening night! I don't think we have enough time to find someone else to play Taylor.”

Ricky furrowed his brows in a curious crease. Placing his guitar aside, he walked over to Carlos and Seb. “What's going on? Why would we need a new Taylor?”

“Gina came by after school, she said that she and her family might be moving again.” Seb answers as he rubbed a soothing hand against Carlos' backside. 

“What?” Ricky ponders incredulously. He started to worry and wonder why she had been absent all this week during rehearsals, he foolishly assumed that she had stopped coming because she was avoiding it from having to see him. He never thought that it would be due to her possibly leaving East High. Ricky knew that she had moved around a lot these past few years, how lonely she felt whenever she would get attached to a group of friends only to have to leave them all behind. 

He knew that though it was challenging at first, that East High was the first school where Gina finally felt like she belonged in a very long time. Throughout the remaining duration of the school day, all Ricky could think about was Gina leaving East High. He knew that their friendship right now was kinda rocky, but he still cared about her and the thought of her actually leaving saddened him deeply. 

One day after school he skips rehearsals and goes to her house. He felt nervous, his hands were getting clammy and his throat felt heavy. He walked up the brick stairs leading up to her front door. He exhaled a deep breath then brought his hand up, and knocked softly. Ricky stood back, patiently waiting with his hands buried in the front of his pockets, he rocked his body back and forth on the heels of his feet. 

His heart beat hastens when he hears the soft sound of someone's gait approaching. Ricky is greeted by the sight of Gina's face once she opened the door. She stared at him, wide eyed and blinking confusedly. 

“Hi.” Ricky says, bringing his hand up in a small wave. 

“Uh, hi?”

Ricky cleared his parched throat and rubbed his hand sheepishly against the back of his neck. From the way she was looking at him, he knew that she was curious to know what his reason was for being here. “I was wondering if we could talk for a minute?”

Gina tightly purses her lips together in thought. She nods her head, “Okay.” She agrees because she knows that she owes him an explanation. He deserves to know the truth, not the truth that Nini made him believed but hers. Gina steps out onto the front porch after closing the door behind her. 

He notices that she's wearing a navy blue floral printed dress, and her curly brown hair was styled neatly in a high top bun. Gina blushes upon seeing him looking at her. She shrugged her shoulders as she walked down two steps on porch then sat down. “I had a meeting with the principal at the new school. My mom wanted us to make a good first impression.” She explained. 

“So it's true? You are leaving?” 

Gina sighs softly as she shakes her head. “I don't know for sure. My mom is still debating if she wants to accept the new offer at her job.”

Ricky feels his heart sadly deflate at this news. He moves onto the step next to her, their knees slightly brush up against each other's. They sit there quiet, each of them consumed in their own thoughts. While he was saddened by the news of her possibly moving, he knew that they still needed to talk about what happened the night of Ashlyn's party. Ricky could sense that Gina was thinking about it too from the way her shoulders suddenly tensed. 

He speaks first. “Why?” Was all he asked, but both of them knew the depth behind the simple question. Why did you lie? Why did you hurt me like that? 

“At first it was because I wanted the role of Gabriella. I wanted it so bad because being the best, being the lead at everything was the only thing that I knew.” Gina admits, telling him about the nature of her mother's teachings. Her mother always told her that being the best was the number one priority and that everything else came second. Gina took that seriously which was why it was always hard for her to make friends, because her mother taught her to look at them as the competition not as friends. 

“But then,” She continued, “When you told me off at the dance I realized that you were right. I am too ambitious for my own good. I didn't even really want the part of Gabriella for myself. I wanted it for my mom. After everything happened with EJ that night I decided to just give up with the plan. It was pointless anyways. Then you came after me and you were so nice and the first person at the school to not look at me as the mean girl.”

Ricky swallows the thick lump that enclosed at the apex of his throat. He averted his eyes upward to see Gina already starting at him, with the same sad look in her eyes that she had the night of Ashlyn's party. “You were the first person that made me feel like I had a place here. Ricky—” She shifts her position on the step so that she's fully facing him. “You were never apart of the plan of me getting the part. I only went to the dance with EJ because I thought it would make Nini jealous and believe me, I know that it was a horrible thing to do but that was it. Everything that happened between us, all the talks, us being friends that was real.”

She assured him with the hopes that her sincerity would make him believe her. Gina knew that he probably wouldn't want to be friends with her after this but she still needed him to know that their friendship wasn't due to her using him for her own benevolence. 

Ricky sat there, quietly gathering his inward thoughts as he let everything she had just said marinate in his brain. Deep down a part of him subconsciously knew that Gina wouldn't probe a fake friendship with him just so she could snag the lead role in the musical. Over the time they had grown to know each other over the span of these few months, he had grown to learn that that mean girl persona was only a façade, a mere defense mechanism she adapted to protect herself. The Gina he knew was one of the sweetest people that he had ever met. 

Ricky distancing himself and placing a temporary pause on their friendship was simply due to the fact that he was hurt. Not only because of him learning the truth about her intentions at first, but because he thought that she was also playing with his heart. There were times when it would be the two of them, alone, talking about anything that came to mind and he would just look at her. 

The sly curve of her lips as they creased upward in a mirthful smile, the way her doe, brown eyes crinkled any time she laughed. Then she would look back at him with this look in her eyes that made him believe that maybe, there was a connection deeper than just friendship between them. 

“It's okay if you still don't believe me right now but one day, I hope you realize the truth. You were a good friend, Ricky Bowen.” Gina says. She leaned over and softly brushed her lips against his cheek, placing a gentle kiss along the plush skin. She pulled away then gingerly rose to her feet. She dusted the dirt off the back of her dress then began walking up the stairs back towards her house. 

“Wait!” Ricky exclaimed, his hand wrapping around her wrist and catching her grip before she could finish walking away. Gina paused and turned back around to face him. 

“I–” He squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled a deep breath. “I like you, Gina as more than a friend and I thought that maybe you liked me too. So when I found out that you lied and stole Nini's phone I thought that–” Ricky shakes his head unable to finish the rest of his sentence. “Just please tell me that I wasn't the only one that felt something between us.” He pleads. 

“I do like you, Ricky. I have ever since you first dropped me off after the homecoming dance.” Gina truthfully admits, smiling softly at him. She walks down the steps and wraps her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. He hugs her back almost instantly, his face nuzzled against her honey scented hair as he pulled her tighter against his chest. “I hope you're happy with Nini, you deserve it.” She whispered, giving one last kiss on his cheek before pulling away to return back into her house. 

Ricky does try to be happy with Nini. But things were different, they were hardly seeing each other anymore and his conflicted feelings for Gina were still weighing heavily on his mind. Ricky knew that it wasn't fair for him to be dating Nini while still harboring feelings for Gina. Surprisingly, Nini breaks up with him first. She said that she had finally come to the realization that they had outgrown each other as a couple. 

He was a little sad but he knew that she was right. Walking into rehearsals one day, he sees everyone crowded in the middle of the room, hugging and talking with someone in the midst of it. Entering further into the room he sees that it's Gina — smiling as she pulled Carlos into a tight hug. 

“What's going on?” He asked aloud to no one in particular. Gina glanced up to see him standing across from her, his face marring a confused expression. 

“My mom declined the offer. I told her how much I liked being here so she said that we could stay.” Gina explained after walking over to him. She paused, gauging for his reaction. She was pleasantly taken by surprise when he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Gina reacted and engaged back, pressing her mouth along his in a soft but firm kiss. 

Ricky smiled and wrapped his arms around her then pulled her into a hug. He knew that they still had a lot to talk about but all that mattered right now in this moment was that she wasn't leaving. “I'm glad you're staying.” He whispers into the soft curls of her hair. 

“So am I.”

**Author's Note:**

> the ending might be a little rushed. I just wanted to finish the story off before it got even longer.


End file.
